Formal Research Statement
My name is Alejandro Rodrigo, I’m a proud member of the Learning and Comparative Cognition Laboratory at the Center of Behavioral Studies and Research (CEIC) from the University of Guadalajara (UdG). I’m currently finishing my Ph.D. degree under the direction of Dr. Jonathan Buriticá and the supervision of Dr. Debbie M. Kelly. For my Ph.D., Dr. Laurent Avila Chauvet and I developed a computer-based 2d spatial task with the aim to study how humans select different strategies to locate a goal by computing the information of an array of visual cues placed in a half-hexagon shape (to play the game go to http://ae-gec.com/ARod/9_CAN/).
Although the main goal of my thesis focuses on the spatial abilities of humans, my future goal is to continue the research in spatial cognition with different species of animals such as rats, pigeons, wild hummingbirds, and guppies. Furthermore, I want to explore novel methodologies to study and expand the knowledge on how animals navigate and orient in spaces with multiple dimensions.
Moreover I want to continue exploring subjects of urban ecology, particularly the foraging behavior of invasive species such as wild Great-tailed grackles. The first goal is to describe the behavioral patterns of the specie and recognized what they eat, and when they eat. The second goal is to know what mechanisms these birds evolve to promote their survival in harsh environments such as cities,
is it only because the quality or availability of the food or the absence of predators, or a mixture
there is something else? . A secondary goal, is to know if these evolved mechanisms are the same that help these birds to adapt so fast in a great diverse gamma of environments across the american continent. identify if they are the top of the why they dont have predators?
what mechanisms evolve
Describe snails line of research.
Invasive species know if there are similarities among species, que factores promueven el desarrollo acelerado se debe exclusivamente a los depredadores? o existen similitudes?
https://careerservices.upenn.edu/search/page/4/?s=research+statement
https://careerservices.upenn.edu/grad-school-statement-of-purpose-personal-statement/
https://careerservices.upenn.edu/cover-letter-writing-guide/
https://careerservices.upenn.edu/channels/prepare-application-materials/
https://www.sciencemag.org/careers/2002/07/writing-research-plan
how they adapt and promote the variables survive in harsh environments such as cities. what mechanisms promote their survival
I also want to continue exploring the life of zoo animals. Specially I want to develop a novel method to measure and evaluate the general behavioral patterns of animals, and stablish new and improved techniques of environmental enrichment and training programs, with the to measure animal welfare and evaluating programs , and fieldwork research.
0.1 Funding history
During my academic development I have been awarded with several research grants from the National Council of Science and Technology (English for Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología; abbreviated CONACYT).
The first mayor grant was designated to perform my masters studies (call 290840, January 2014 to January 2016) at the CEIC under the co-direction of Dr. Carlos Torres Ceja and Dr. Carlos Javier Flores Aguirre.
During this time I receive an additional award (Call 290936) to carry out an International Research Internship at the Laboratory of Animal Behavior under the supervision of Dr. Javier Leonardo Rico Rodriguez at the Konrad Lorenz University Foundation (English for Fundación Universitaria Konrad Lorenz) between February and March 2015.
The second mayor grant was given to perform my Ph.D. studies (call 291236, September 2017 to September 2020) at CEIC.
Once more, I earn an additional award (Call 291276) to carry out an International Research Internship at the Comparative Cognition Laboratory under the supervision of Dr. Debbie M. Kelly at the University of Manitoba between May and November 2019.
Back in 2011, while working as the coordinator of the animal welfare department at Africam Safari zoo, I won the Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens New World Conservation Training Award in Collaboration with the Zoo Conservation Outreach Group to attend the Principles of Program Animal Management course of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (November 14 to 19, 2011).
1 Scratch notes
But why is this important? and how is this related with my research goals? I don’t blame them if they use that money to buy drugs instead of food. Imagine the horror the live everyday. A very suitable coping mechanism if you ask me. I’m not saying I approved this, but we can’t judge people for something they couldn’t even have the chance to choose. This and believe me, is an every-day reality in this country.
#Informal research statement To understand my academic goals, personal interests and research motives, is crucial to shared with you a little part of my history and my background.
This is not a political statement, or a story of poverty and economics. It is simply an integrated point of view that form my opinions as researcher. A history that also set-up my personality and defined who am I. This is my research statement.
I born and raised in Mexico City. A city recognized as the most populous territory in the Western Hemisphere, with a calculated population for 2021 of almost 22 million people. The most impressive (and concerning fact) is that the total area of Mexico city is only 1,485 square kilometers (573 squared miles), which leads to a population density of 6000 people per squared kilometer (16000 residents per squared mile). Indeed, a very overcrowd city.
Against this, Mexico is considered according to the definition of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as a developing country because of its lower economic performance. A performance that reflects a very alarming poverty situation, where almost half of the total population lives below the national poverty line.
From an ecological point of view, this could be translated to a simple but horrendous fact, half of the total population (including people of all ages) are fighting every day to have access to the most basic resource, food. The other half is probably fighting over other resources such as clean water, shelter, education, health care, and social security. This brings a scenario where competition is key to survival in literal terms.
Mexican families are aware of this. They teach us to thrive under the most excruciating situations, to be the best in this deplorable environment. The saddest result of competition other than a fragmented society is habituation.
Every day a normal mexican walks besides a starving kid, or a young mother in despair, or a defeated father that lives in the street asking for some change. A couple of coins that could help them survive another day. A lot of people, including myself in the past, have the enough level of ignorance not only to judge them, or simply ignore their existence, but to reject them as human beings. Habituation, and lack of education is the worst adversary for my society.
dont get me wrong, not everything is negativity, all these factors have giving us a lot of good characteristics as a society.
https://www.macrotrends.net/cities/21853/mexico-city/population https://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/mexico-city-population https://www.worlddata.info/developing-countries.php https://www.imf.org/en/Countries/MEX#countrydata
In our everyday lives as individuals in Mexico, the most competitive person is who gets the most resources.
Unfortunately, due to this background, it took me several years to understand the difference between competition and collaboration. In the past I thought Mexico was one of the most collaborative countries, but I was very unaware of the actual situation.
I consider free access to education, one of the three most valuable pillars for every individual, as long as health services and food.
I realized of the importance of collaborating and setting the stages for progress. Although changing the situation of an entire country is not entirely in my hands, I do believe that the change comes from each of us. As I dedicate most of my grown-up live to academia, there has been
a result of this, I’m transferring all my work to an open-access frame. I’m creating this website not only to show you my academic merits and personal interests, but to make all these resources available for everyone. In here you will find courses on various topics .
For me, this country represents not only an opportunity And for me, the love of science comes in a form of curiosity
So yeah, I LOVE SCIENCE, just like you!
2 Upcoming publications and projects
A summary of the working publications, on-going experiments and on-hold Projects is
Working publications
- Ph.D. Thesis & Journal article: Computation of multiple landmarks by humans: switching between strategies.
- Book chapter: Contemporary theories and concepts in spatial cognition.
- Journal article: Daily Patterns of Foraging and Aggressive Behaviors in Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) at an Urban Patch with Availability or Absence of Resources.
On-going experiments
- Pigeons’ Reliance on Landmark vs. Geometric Cues in a Novel Environment.
- Behavioral patterns of a White-tailed titi (Plecturocebus discolor) couple from Parque de las Leyendas zoo (Lima, Peru)
- Density population effects on the locomotion patterns of snails.
On-hold Projects
- Using artificial intelligence to determine and prevent foot problems in African elephants (Loxodonta africana).
- The effects of the Mexican COVID-19 lockdown on the emotional and behavioral health of companion dogs: A qualitative assesment.
- Reversal of environmental conditions in adult Wistar rats.
- Effects of environmental enrichment on the successive negative contrast operant.
- Evaluation of Zoo Animal Training Programs
If more interested in future projects, please click here